Back In Town

Summary:
All of the Cullens are back in Forks after eighty years. Some things have stayed the same, but most has changed. When someone from their past shows up, questions are thrown right and left - will the future be jeopardized?

Notes:
Breaking Dawn Spoilers!

2. Chapter 2

“Where were you?” I asked him as he sat down in the desk beside me just as the bell rang to signal the start of Socials. Instead of looking at me though, he was calmly regarding the playful flirting between Jake and our daughter. I sighed in spite of myself; eighty years and he still hadn’t managed to get over their relationship? “Edward, she’s not a kid anymore,” I reminded him softly so that no humans nearby could hear.

“I know,” he sighed too and turned his back on the two lovers to finally look at his own. “Now, what were you asking me?”

Luckily our desks were set up in pairs, and I slid my hand into his easily as the teacher began taking attendance. I only wanted to know, I pushed into his brain, as I’d gotten so good at doing over the years, where you were during Bio. Tell me at lunch. I smiled, letting him know I wasn’t upset at him for abandoning me during last class. It wasn’t like I was afraid of being in a room full of humans alone…if they were all sensible, they’d be afraid of me.

Socials continued lethargically, and then it was on to Dance for me. I took a wistful look at Edward before being carted off down the hall to the dance studio by Alice, who had a very large grin on her face.

I knew I wasn’t as awkwardly versed in grace as I had been before, so it wasn’t that I was worried about. It was more the public display of the ethereal, inhuman way our bodies moved when doing something natural – like dancing. But Carlisle had encouraged us to take risks this year, and since Dance was being offered as an alternative to PE, that seemed the perfect way to do it. All of us girls were taking it, except Rosalie. We’d decided her body was too noticeable regardless, and dancing would be a stretch for her; she’d chosen Acting instead, as she was always the melodramatic one.

So I trudged into the studio in my all black outfit – yoga capris and a tight fitting camisole - and for the first time since being changed, I was afraid of dancing. I was especially worried that Alice would get carried away; but no, I was thinking like a fool, we were all much more controlled than that.

The one I should have been worried about, I realized as we began a simple warm-up routine, was Renesmee. We’d told her not to show off, and she’d learned control enough, but it seemed she couldn’t help herself. She had never danced in front of other people before – just us.

“Ness,” I hissed at her as she twirled and pirouetted around the quickly filling classroom, “quit it, hon, you’re being watched.”

She halted in mid-twirl and whipped herself around to face me, her eyes repentant. “Sorry Mom,” she whispered. Her gaze lowered from mine, the picture of shame.

The humans were staring. How strange they must think us; we hardly looked like two teenage friends. We looked like scolding mother and remorseful child, which was exactly what we were. “Keep up the charade,” Alice reminded us as she flitted past us onto the dance floor, giggling as she went.

Ness showed me an image of us hugging, and I laughed, joining in with Alice’s chiming voice. Now wanting her to think me mad at her, I crossed the few feet between us and hugged her tight, taking the hint. “I’m trying Mom,” she murmured, “it’s just so hard not to be myself.”

“You’re doing admirably,” I assured her, “barely anyone saw you, and you didn’t do anything extreme. If you ever need help with control though, and I don’t care what you need controlling, you can talk to anyone of us, alright? Well, except Emmett and Jake…”

She laughed then, and I released her to let her dance – within human reason.

***

An hour later found all of us grade tens in Math, something I was actually veritably good at. Though Edward was in the same class, he was doing it at an accelerated rate, basically teaching himself most of the curriculum. They were calling it Honors.

At the end of the year he was supposed to take part in a national math contest, of which I teased him until he shut me up. His chosen method of silencing me was at its most decent a kiss, and its most devious something Emmett would usually revert to.

When the teacher stopped lecturing us on the basics of the course – which lasted nearly the entire period – he gave us time to relax before the bell rang to signal the end of the day. Of course, Jake veered straight towards Ness’ section of the room – the teacher had arranged us alphabetically, much to mine and Jake Wolfe’s dismay – to chat, and Edward came over to mine.

“Hello, father of my demon child,” I grinned wickedly as I vacated my seat, opting to hop up onto my desk instead. People sitting around me frowned at my choice of words, as I’d made no effort to keep my voice down below the human decibel.

“Bella,” he warned, wagging his finger in my face teasingly. I grabbed it with a swift motion of one hand and had it halfway to my mouth before he shook his head. “You can suck on me later love, and not just my finger,” he promised, and I nearly laughed out loud. If the Edward I’d met eighty years ago had said things like this, I’d be dead right now. Clearly the active sex life had given him license to say dirty things without feeling embarrassed or inhibited.

“I’ll hold you to that,” I promised him, and he rested his hands on my knees before leaning in to kiss me. I was fairly certain every single person in the room was staring at us, but I didn’t care. People acted like horndogs in high school all the time, and I’m sure there had been worse couples than us in the legacy of this tiny school alone. Yeah, sure Bella, my mind argued with me as I ran my hands through Edward’s hair, but has there ever been a couple this beautiful displaying themselves? Rosalie and Emmett, yes, but the kids of this time had never been subject to that – which was probably about to change in the next couple of days, if Emmett had anything to say about it.

Jus then, Edward broke our kiss off, both of us drawing ragged, unneeded breaths, and then the bell rang.

Ness and Jake were over to us in a second, and as all the kids were flinging themselves out the door Renesmee showed me an image of me and Edward’s recent display. My arms were draped around his neck, and his hands were cupping my face, but that wasn’t what made me titter. My legs were firmly wrapped around his middle, and I was clearly trying to get as close to his erection as possible. “That’s so embarrassing,” she remarked as we were pushed out into the hallway, and I just laughed. That image alone would give Nixon Newton wet dreams for a month.

“Don’t show your father that,” I whispered, and we both shot a glance up at him. His face betrayed nothing, but I knew he’d most definitely seen it. Jake, on the other hand, was just walking along, holding Ness’ hand and being as nonchalant as Jake could. He let out a chuckle presently though, and I wondered what Ness was showing him.

“The parking lot,” I directed Edward, who was acting pretty much on autopilot at the moment, with my hand on his arm. “Renesmee, Jake, you two just run home, okay?”

“Ew,” was all Jake said, and Ness was trying hard not to blush – or show me anything that would belay her awkward emotions. She was used to Rosalie and Emmett, and even sometimes Alice and Jasper or Carlisle and Esme having sex with her knowledge and she wouldn’t even bat an eyelash, but when it came to Edward and I – it just weirded her out. She and Jake had sex as well, and I tried to be as objective as a mother could, but I just couldn’t get used to it either.

Jake and Ness probably wouldn’t come home right at the moment, and if I knew them well enough, they’d probably gone hunting for a while. Come to think of it, Alice had probably dragged Jasper off somewhere, and Rosalie and Emmett would have taken the hint as well. My family was nothing if not accepting and accommodating. Carlisle was working the afternoon, and Esme would most likely see just us two coming home and make up some excuse to get out of our way. A house to ourselves – blissful.

“Edward, let me drive,” I swatted his hand away from the driver’s door and stole his keys, ordering him to the passenger’s seat. He moved slowly, almost robotically, and I was beginning to wonder if he would be able to function.

The drive was short, silent and nearly painful, an odd thing for a vampire to feel. I parked in the garage beside the Aston Martin, now a pristine antique. It was the only car in the garage. Good. Alice had probably called Esme and told her what our intent was this afternoon.

“Edward, get out of the car-,” I began as I glanced over at him, worried about his mechanic movements, but he cut me off by moving faster than I’d seen him move all day and smother my mouth with his own. Oh, this desire will only last a decade, tops, I thought ruefully as I responded right back to him, not worried in the least that his back was pressed up against the steering wheel, honking the horn repeatedly. Apparently he didn’t care either, as his fervency matched my own. Yeah, right.